The monastery of Panagia Gouverniotissa is located near the village of Potamies, approximately 5km from Hersonissos and 33km east of Heraklion. It is built on a small hill with a beautiful view of Lagada and the Aposelemis dam, which is the largest hydroelectric project in Crete.
Today, the renovated area of the monastery is not only a place of worship, but also a center of culture and national awareness. In the church dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, ecclesiastical mysteries and Masses are held, while special festive events are held on August 14 and 15, when the church celebrates its feast day.
The church, cruciform with a dome, is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and is one of the oldest in Crete. It is decorated with important frescoes with various themes, such as Christ the Pantocrator on the dome, the Prophets, the Crucifixion, the Virgin Mary, etc., which rank it among the most important churches with frescoes in Crete with artistic influences from Constantinople. The frescoes of the church are characterized as extremely interesting, some of them, in fact, are unusual and even rare. The icons of the monastery are currently exhibited in the Historical Museum of Heraklion.
According to tradition, the monastery was founded by a Byzantine ruler after 961, when Nikephoros Phokas liberated Crete from the Arabs. However, the fresco decoration was painted in the 14th century, specifically in the first fifty years (i.e. 1300-1350.
Later, the monastery belonged to the Magafouris family, whose descendants owned it for many generations. The last of the family transferred the monastery to Agios Tapos, and in a few years the monastery was dissolved.
In the 1990s, on the initiative of residents of the area, efforts began to restore and promote the Monastery. In 2010, with the creation of the Culture and Development Organization “The Gouverniotissa”, the implementation of important projects began that have turned the area into a center of culture.
Today, in the monastery, in addition to the temple, you will see in the renovated 19th century cells the Exhibition of Ecclesiastical Relics, where parts of the iconostasis are exhibited Gouverniotissa, important relics, copies of the icons of Gouverniotissa, etc.
Also in the buildings of the Monastery there is a special space for hosting periodic exhibitions, while to the east of the monastery there is a botanical garden where one can see the flora of Crete.
In the landscaped area outside the monastery, great concerts are held every summer with well-known Greek artists.
Read more information about the Monastery of Gouverniotissa on the Monastery’s website
